This invention relates to pipe chocks and is particularly directed to pipe chocks of the type which are intended to be attached to boards or timbers used to separate layers of pipe in a storage area or when loaded onto a truck, railroad car or the like for shipment.
When a quantity of metal or ceramic pipe is to be stacked for storage or when it is loaded onto a truck or railroad car for shipment or the like, it is common practice to stack the pipe in layers which are separated by a board or timber, such as a 2.times.4, to prevent damage to the various lengths of pipe and to permit the prongs of a forklift truck to get between the layers of pipe to facilitate lifting and handling of the pipe. However, when this is done, any agitation of the stack may cause the pipes to roll off of the boards and the entire stack will rapidly become undone. Moreover, lengths of pipe have substantial weight and, once they start to roll, they rapidly gather momentum and become extremely dangerous to nearby people and property. In order to avoid these problems, some means must be provided to prevent the lengths of pipe from rolling. To accomplish this, in the past, it has been the practice to securely nail a large block of wood, such as a 2.times.4, to the subjacent board next to each end of each row or layer of pipe. These blocks of wood are called "chocks". As noted above, each length of pipe has considerable weight and, obviously, a row of pipe will have a weight equal to that of all the pipes in the row. Consequently, it has been the practice to use large spikes to secure the blocks to the underlying boards. However, if it becomes necessary or desirable to vary the number of pipe lengths in a given row or if it is desired to reuse the boards after the pipes have been removed, it becomes necessary to remove the chock in order to reposition it. Unfortunately, the same factors which make the large spikes desirable for preventing movement of the chocks and the pipes held thereby make the removal of the spikes a difficult and time-consuming job. Moreover, since the cost of labor is a major concern in such operations, the removal of the chocks also become a matter of expense.